Armada FC Midfielder Steinberger Named NASL Player of the Week

NEW YORK – Jacksonville Armada FC midfielder Zach Steinberger has been named North American Soccer League (NASL) Player of the Week after stealing the show in the club’s 3-0 road win over the San Francisco Deltas at Kezar Stadium on Friday night.

Steinberger scored twice in the first half to set Armada FC on its way against the Deltas, and added an assist in the second half to seal all three points in the shutout win. The 25-year-old midfielder’s performance put him in a tie for the league lead in goals with four.

Jacksonville came close to scoring earlier in the game, but Steinberger finally broke the deadlock in the 28th minute when he headed home Drew Beckie’s cross from the right side. On the stroke of halftime, the visitors got a second from Steinberger, who used his head once again to find the back of the net. Jemal Johnson was the provider in the 45th minute, lofting in a cross from the left side that Steinberger buried.

With a 2-0 lead midway through the second half, Armada FC grabbed a third and it was Steinberger who set it up. The Butler University product threaded a pass behind the San Francisco defense to Derek Gebhard, who curled a beautiful shot over the head of Deltas goalkeeper Romuald Peiser.

A native of Long Beach, Calif., Steinberger is off to a sizzling start in his first full season with Armada FC. The 5-foot-11 midfielder joined the club on loan last June and went on to rack up four goals and four assists in 20 appearances for Jacksonville in 2016. Now under contract with Armada FC, Steinberger has already matched his goal total from last season.

The former Houston Dynamo man is no stranger to the NASL. He also has a loan stint with Indy Eleven on his résumé. Steinberger scored twice for Indy in 2015, making 12 appearances for the club.

Steinberger was a prominent youth player in Orange County before moving onto the IMG Academy and ultimately Europe. He spent 2009 with FC VSS Kosice and 2010-2011 with German side Karlsruher SC prior to playing in college at Butler in Indianapolis.

Jacksonville Armada FC returns home from its successful road trip to host red-hot North Carolina FC at Hodges Stadium on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET, and the game can be seen live on ESPN3 (U.S.) and NASL.com (Canada).